Midnight
by SometimesAllyWrites
Summary: Mary didn't notice him when he sat down next to her until he cleared his throat. She jumped in surprise and whispered, "Bert! What are you doing out here?" "I could be askin' you the same thing," he joked, "Mary, it's after midnight!" He watched her closely for a moment, "What's got you out here so late at night?" One-Shot.


**Hello again! Have another Mary Poppins fic!**

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_Rain crashed against her, the wind thrashed wildly against her umbrella. She was flying through the night, but the storm seemed set on keeping her from getting where she needed to go. A strong gust of wind spun her about and she tried to turn back to the right direction. Her hair had fallen from its perfectly-pinned state a long time ago and now curls of dark-brown hair stuck to the sides of her face. She couldn't remember why she was flying through this storm, she just knew that she had to get back. But another burst of wind hit her and sent the umbrella flying from her hand. And she was falling..._

She woke up before she hit the ground, she always did. This was not the first time Mary had had that dream and it certainly wouldn't be the last. She pulled herself from the small bed of the room adjacent to the nursery. Without a second thought, she pulled on her sensible shoes, the first coat she could reach, opened the window, and floated herself up to the rooftop.

"Perhaps I just need some fresh air," Mary reasoned quietly as her feet touched down softly on the roof. She sat down quickly, dangling her feet off the edge. "It was just a dream," she mused, "there's no way that it would actually happen... just a dream."

Mary sat and thought for a while, quickly getting lost in her mind. She swung her legs gently and twisted a couple of strands of hair around her finger.

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Bert couldn't sleep. Sleepless nights were becoming more and more common for the sweep and he couldn't put his finger on the reason why. He pulled himself out of his bed and shrugged on his coat and yanked his shoes on. A quick walk over the rooftops was just what he needed. He walked over to his fireplace, looked up the chimney, and let himself be pulled up to the world of the sweeps.

He wasn't going anywhere special, he just let his feet move him forward while his mind wandered. His mind and feet wandered aimlessly. Finally, his thoughts wandered to Mary Poppins. So did his feet. He saw her sitting there, hair flowing freely in the light breeze, and the color of her coat popped brightly against the night sky. A picture-perfect sight.

Mary didn't notice him when he sat down next to her until he cleared his throat. She jumped in surprise and whispered, "Bert! What are you doing out here?"

"I could be askin' you the same thing," he joked, "Mary, it's after midnight!" He watched her closely for a moment, "What's got you out here so late at night?"

"I just couldn't sleep," she lied easily. She didn't want to admit that she had been having nightmares. It was a weakness and she could never admit to being weak.

"That's not it, is it Mary," he chided, "I can see right through you! Now c'mon. What's troubling you?"

"It's nothing, Bert," Mary said, "please don't press the matter any more."

The sat in silence for a while. Neither wanted to say anything and they didn't have much to say anyways. Bert's eyes, never left Mary's face. He wanted to help her, to pull her into his arms and comfort her. He wanted to never let her go and to whisper that everything would be alright. He wanted to give her everything.

Mary's eyes never left her hands that were folded neatly in her lap. She wanted nothing more than to fling herself into his arms. She wanted to rest her head on his chest and cry. She wanted to tell him how she felt. She wanted to give him everything she could.

So they sat there in silence. Neither one moving or saying anything until finally, Mary looked up from her lap and off into the sky. "I love you," she whispered. The words were so quiet, they were almost inaudible.

"What," Bert asked with disbelief.

"I said," Mary said a little louder, "I love you." She chanced a glance at the man sitting beside her. She had just revealed her deepest secret. There was no going back.

Bert blinked, did she really just say what he thought she had? Was this real? Was he dreaming? He couldn't believe it. But there she was, sitting there next to him. And she had just said that she loved him. He wrapped one arm around her, pulling her close to him. "I'm not sure if you knew," he murmured, "But I love you too."

Now it was Mary's turn to be surprised, "You do?" She pulled away from him and studied his face.

"Of course I do. Since the day I met you."

Mary wrapped her arms around him now, trapping him in a hug. She couldn't believe it. He returned the hug happily and ran his fingers through her loose hair. They spent another few moments in silence. They were happy to be with one another. Finally, Mary tried to stifle a yawn. She didn't do a very good job though, because Bert pulled away and looked at her for a second, "You're tired. I should let you get back to sleep."

"Nonsense," she yawned again, "I'm not tired."

"Yes you are. You're also the most stubborn lady I've ever met. Now get back inside," he said light-heartedly.

Mary huffed, not wanting to admit defeat. But she nodded, "Alright, fine. And I'm not stubborn."

Bert laughed, "Yes you are, Mary Poppins. And I love you for it." He stood first and extended a hand to help her up. She accepted his hand and pulled herself up. She looked at the edge of the building, to the small windowsill and open window that lead to her room. She didn't want to leave. Not now. Not after this.

"Goodnight Bert," she whispered. But before she turned to float down to her window, Mary stretched onto her toes and pressed a small kiss to Bert's lips. The kiss was over almost as soon as it had started and she turned quickly to return to her room.

Bert let her go and watched as she floated down. "Goodnight Mary Poppins," he whispered to the retreating figure.

Both slept well that night.

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